Tide's Barron could be a mixed bag as a playmaker

Column by Tom Orsborn

Updated 1:10 am, Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Photo: Mike Zarrilli, Getty Images

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TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 19: Defensive back Mark Barron #4 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs some practice drills before the game against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 19, 2011 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 19: Defensive back Mark Barron #4 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs some practice drills before the game against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 19,

Mark Barron of Alabama (left) yells at Tyrann Mathieu of LSU during the first quarter of the game at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 5, 2011 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Mark Barron of Alabama (left) yells at Tyrann Mathieu of LSU during the first quarter of the game at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 5, 2011 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Photo: Streeter Lecka, Getty Images

Tide's Barron could be a mixed bag as a playmaker

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Alabama safety Mark Barron has his doubts about whether he can adhere to the NFL's stringent player safety rules.

“Honestly, I don't like them, because the way I've been taught to play the game, I hit hard,” Barron said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I guess I'll have to make some adjustments. Hopefully, I'll be able to make them. I'm not sure if I will, because that's the way I was taught to play the game.”

Barron has been linked to the Cowboys, the owners of the 14th pick in the draft and a team that's badly in need of a playmaker in their secondary.

“He's the best safety in this class,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said of the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Barron.

But Barron isn't without his flaws, including ones that could hurt him in a division that also boasts Giants quarterback Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP who owns the Cowboys.

Barron's weaknesses include “man-to-man limitations, hip tightness and inconsistent ball reaction,” Nawrocki said. Another analyst listed his “late burst to close on the football.”

He is not “a centerfielder,” Nawrocki said.

In today's pass-happy NFL, safeties are often called on to defend slot receivers. They must be good tacklers like Barron, but they also must be able to keep up with wideouts such as the Giants' Victor Cruz, who had a breakout season last year operating out of the slot.

A unanimous first-team All-America choice in 2011 for the national champs, Barron rarely had to cover slot receivers man-to-man in college. The new breed of NFL tight ends — think New Orleans' ultra-athletic Jimmy Graham — could also pose a problem for Barron.

“You'd better take as many skill cover guys as you can find, whether they're safeties, big corners, small corners,” said former NFL coach Jon Gruden, now an ESPN analyst. “You'd better get people that can cover and tackle in one-on-one situations. That goes hand in hand.”

But teams searching for a difference-maker at safety need to look at more than just physical skills, Gruden said.

“You better get some smart guys that love football,” Gruden said, “because more and more teams are going to no-huddle, and you rely on communication and intelligence to execute.”

Fortunately for Dallas, Barron is what Nawrocki terms “football smart” after playing in Alabama coach Nick Saban's complicated defense. Scouts say Barron's ability to read the quarterback's eyes makes him a natural ball hawk in zone coverage. His good hands and 12 career interceptions in college also shouldn't be ignored.

“We did a lot of different schemes,” said Barron, leader of the nation's top defense last season. “As far as communicating, I had a lot to do with that on the back end.”

The Cowboys signed former Jets safety Brodney Pool last month, but he received only a one-year deal, possibly indicating the team will target a safety in the draft. If Dallas takes Barron, it could gain a significant playmaking boost.

Or it could get a player who excels in the box but will need work to become special in pass coverage.